What is Positive Recovery?

We Lead and Empower Clients

Positive Recovery is an approach that links the best of evidence-based treatment with the new, novel interventions that enhance well-being by cultivating its components: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and achievement.

The main theory of Positive Recovery is this: Addiction develops when happiness is pursued ineffectively and recovery is when people pursue happiness the right way. With Positive Recovery, we lead and empower clients as they learn to fulfill their needs in more healthy ways by intervening early and normalizing use instead of using shame.

We do not believe the traditional approach of treating mental illness to be anything less than noble and very respectable gains have been made using the medical-model approach in both behavioral medicine and physical medicine. Positive Recovery does not replace or demonize effective existing approaches, such as twelve-step facilitation.

The Mission of Positive Recovery

Positive Recovery enables us to experience the joy of helping others flourish in recovery. This is our core purpose, our “why.” It drives everything that we do, from creatively applying science in order to improve outcomes to creating the “rehab of choice” (where clients want to be treated and addiction treatment professionals want to work). Empathy and compassion drive our mission. As a result, we provide comprehensive treatment and authentically care for our clients and each other, which can improve outcomes and establish high-quality connections.

Collaborative, Individualized Care

Clients are not all the same in terms of values, traits, or in the severity of their addiction. The same is true of each client’s motivation and interest in becoming a 12-stepper or even absolutely abstinent. Because of this, we can’t assume that a particular treatment will work for everyone. Individual differences matter, not only for treatment outcomes but for the likelihood that an individual will continue to use what they learn in treatment in the first place.

At Positive Recovery Centers, we recognize each individual is the expert in themself. We remain curious as to what drives them intrinsically and create a collaborative relationship with our clients.

Positive Recovery Is Evidence-Based Treatment

Positive Recovery does not rely on wishful thinking—it is based on multiple lines of evidence and clinical expertise. The Positive Recovery approach includes concepts, tools, and skills from a myriad of fields and theories, including but not limited to:

We Are Trend-Setters

Positive Recovery Centers is the only treatment center that utilizes the Positive Psychology approach throughout the full continuum of care. Evidence that we are ahead of the curve can be seen in recent publications such as “Positive Psychiatry,” a new scientific textbook written for psychiatrists by luminaries in the field, which recognizes exactly what we have been applying for a few years now, which is this:

“It’s at least as important to draw attention to, and build, what is going well as it is to focus on and try to remove the bad. Therapists who merely try to reduce depression, anxiety, and anger miss out on the opportunity to explore their patient’s strengths and empower their patients to fulfill their potential. Even when treatment is effective and they’re able to relieve their patients’ negative symptoms, this success does not translate automatically into well-being and happiness. Building positive resources such as positive emotions, character strengths, and social connections, or helping clients find meaningful work and counteract negative symptoms, in turn, buffers them in the future when challenges arise.”

Have Questions? We Have Answers.

We understand that addiction treatment can seem foreign, but we’re here to answer your questions and provide helpful feedback. If you’d like to learn more about Positive Recovery and what we do, we’re available to speak with you. Please call 713-904-4699 for more information.